Nez Perce 1.3 - Sorrow

Nez Perce : Sorrow
Genre : Historical
Showrunner: Scott Cooper
Writer : Dwight Gallo
Cast: Adam Beach, Matthew Rhys, Martin Sensmeier, Gil Birmingham, Forrest Goodluck, Tatanka Means, Julia Jones, Ben Schnetzer, Amber Midthunder, Jay Tavares, Wes Studi, Mark Boone Junior, Raoul Max Trujillo and Rory Cochrane

Plot:1855. Joseph the Elder (Wes Studi) looks around at the areas surrounding the Wallowa Valley and sees more white settlers in the distance than he had not too long before. The settlers are encroaching more and more on the traditional Nez Perce lands, appropriating their sacred land for their own farming and lifestock grazing needs. Joseph the Elder, expresses his wariness to another tribal leader, Chief Lawyer (Raoul Max Trujillo), decide to ride out to Olympia to meet with the governor of the Territory of Washington, Isaac Stevens (Rory Cochrane). At first Stevens refuses to meet with them, but Joseph the Elder and Lawyer refuse to leave the area. Wishing for them to simply go away, Stevens offers to have them present for an official council to decide land rights. Joseph the Elder turns down the offer, believing it to be a trick to get them to sell their sacred lands to the white man.

Governor Stevens leads the Walla Walla Council, along with the leaders of the Yakima, Umatilla, Walla Walla and Cayuse tribes. The meeting culminates with lands being designated to the tribes. Chief Lawyer decides to sign the treaty on behalf of the entire Nez Perce Nation, believing the nation's reservations to be the best way to go about adapting to the ever-changing world around them. When word of the treaty spreads through the Nez Perce community, it causes a rift between those who support the treaty and those against the treaty. The pro-treaty Nez Perce move within the new reservation's boundaries along with Lawyer, while the non-treaty Nez Perce remain on their ancestral lands led by Joseph the Elder. Joseph the Elder and his men begin marking the boundaries of their with a series of poles.

1877. Eagle Robe (Jay Tavares) is busy gathering firewood, but he stops when he hears a rustling sound nearby. He makes his way through the thick trees towards a clearing up ahead, where discovers a horse grazing peacefully in the meadow. Eagle Robe approaches the horse, gently stroking the animal's mane. He is approached from behind by a local miner, Larry Ott (Mark Boone Junior), with his gun raised. Ott accuses Eagle Robe of trying to steal his horse. Eagle Rock doesn't understand English, but the gun and the tone let him know he's not welcome. Eagle Rock tries to explain that the horse is hungry and that the town does not have good grazing, so the horse came there to eat. Ott points to a brand on the horse, indicating his ownership over the horse. Eagle Robe slowly nods and begins stepping away from the angry miner. Ott fires a shot past Eagle Robe's head. Eagle Robe drops to his knees, terrified. Ott slams the butt of his rifle into Eagle Robe's face. Eagle Robe crumples to the ground. Ott kicks him, cracking his ribs. Ott howls with laughter. Eagle Robe grabs Ott's foot and twists his ankle, dropping Ott to the ground. Eagle Robe his Ott again, and again. Eagle Robe fires his gun. The bullet rips into Eagle Robe's torso. He hits the ground, still alive, and tries to crawl away. Ott gets to his feet. He walks over to Eagle Robe and takes aim at the wounded warrior and fires again. Eagle Robe's still body lies on the ground, a pool of blood around his head. Ott begins walking back toward his horse. Eagle Robe's fingers are twitching. He's still alive, barely.

Chief Joseph (Adam Beach) rides into the village on horseback and discovers the tribe in panic. Ollokot (Martin Sensmeier) breaks away from the elders and runs up to Joseph. Eagle Robe is on his death bed, surrounded by his friends. His face is a mesh of blood and pulp. Joseph enters the tipi with Ollokot and looks down in horror. He sits down next to Eagle Robe and leans in close. Eagle Robe struggles to speak, but asks Joseph to tell his son to not seek revenge as it will only make people suffer. Joseph slowly nodes as Eagle Robe's breathing grows weaker.

Wahlitits (Forrest Goodluck) and Little Bird (Amber Midthunder) come into the village having spent the day together. They're happy and laughing, until Wahlitits sees the large gathering outside his father's tipi. He heads inside to find Eagle Robe dead. Everyone in the room is quiet, nobody quite knowing what to say. Joseph unfastens the beaded necklace around Eagle Robe's neck. He looks at it for a long, sad moment. Wahlitits is being restrained by Toohoolhoolzote (Gil Birmingham) and Ollokot. Joseph walks over to him and gives Wahlitits his father's necklace. Wahlitits screams in anguish.

A train pulls into a station and General Howard (Matthew Rhys) steps out onto the platform. Captain David Perry (Ben Schnetzer) is waiting for him. They ride on horseback toward the Wallowa mountains. Perry explains that most of the natives have never seen a train up close, that they see distant plumes of smoke and think it's some great iron monster. Perry laughs, then gets on with business. He tells Howard that they have four divisions of cavalry stationed nearby, but wanted to keep the troop presence in the valley to a minimum in the hopes of maintaining peace and order. They make their way into Lapwai and stop at the hotel. Howard notices that the courthouse lights are on and asks Perry what's going on. Perry tells him that a murder trial is underway. The courtroom is packed and segregated. The Nez Perce are stuffed in the back, while the whites and Christian Indians sit in the pews. Larry Ott sits at the defendants' table. Howard and Perry step inside to observe. The all white jury returns to the courtroom after deliberating. Howard looks over at the Nez Perce. Joseph is among them. Joseph looks right at Howard. Howard asks Perry who he is, and Perry says that is Chief Joseph. Howard and Joseph size each other up from across the room as the jury announces a verdict of not guilty. The white applaud Ott and give him congratulatory pats on the back. Joseph turns and leaves the courtroom peacefully. The rest of the Nez Perce follow his example, even Wahlitits.

Howard unpacks his things in his hotel room. He hangs up a fresh uniform in the closet. He places a copy of The Holy Bible on his bedside table. He looks out the window and notices distant fires lighting up the night. The fires are from Eagle Robe's funeral. Warriors dance around fires as tribe members join in a mournful wail. Toohoolhoolzote, Ollokot, Springtime (Julia Jones), Joseph, almost everyone participates. Red Grizzly (Tatanka Means) lurks in the shadows, watching. Wahlitits sits by himself, staring at the earth that marks his father's grave. Little Bird approaches and puts her arms around him. Wahlitits collapses into her embrace.

1863. Gold has been found in the mountains surrounding the Wallowa Valley, overruning the area with miners and squatters. Chief Lawyer, representing himself as the "head chief" of Nez Perce Nation, uses this information to sell much of the tribal lands off the government. Joseph the Elder tries to argue that this was never approved by his people and that Lawyer does not represent him or his people. Feeling hurt and deceived, Joseph the Elder condemns the United States, shreds his Bible, and announces that his people will not leave the Wallowa Valley or sign anything that would make the new reservation boundaries agreed upon by Lawyer legitimate.